U.S. Pat. No. 3,594,049 describes a bearing liner which includes a fabric backing member and a low friction layer adhered to the backing member. The low friction layer includes a matrix formed of a suitable binder and dry lubricant particles, for example, Teflon particles dispersed in the matrix. The fabric backing member provides strength and the lubricant lubricates the wear surface of the bearing liner. The results obtainable with this bearing liner are excellent and the wear rate is low.
Several variations of this bearing liner have been proposed. However, each of these variations also employs dry lubricant particles in a matrix.
Dry lubricants are satisfactory for many applications, however, dry lubricants have certain environmental limitations which nonsolid lubricants, such as oils and greases, do not have. For example, nonsolid lubricants which are usuable at high temperatures and low temperatures are available whereas dry lubricants do not have this capability.
In order to take advantage of certain properties of nonsolid lubricants, it would be desirable to employ them in bearing material of the type described above. Unfortunately, it has not been possible heretofore to disperse oil or grease in the binder or matrix. One specific problem is that the lubricant tends to react chemically with the binder prior to the time the binder is cured.